Wargame Wednesday: Updates

I have been looking for good references on the Volksgrenadiers and discovered one with excellent background info. As I conduct research new facts emerge. Unlike the scenario’s starting positions, the 106th Infantry Division’s 424th Regiment was deployed on the front line and not in reserve at St. Vith. Thanks to MacDonald’s book (another recent arrival) I learned of a hole in the American lines that the Germans took advantage of.

New posts since last Wednesday on my blog concerning English oil production during WW2 and Strategy and Tactics magazine back issues.

Zach Wood’s schedule has cleared up and was able to return to posting last week with a well received article on incorporating weather in wargames. His post this week offers more food for thought.

Zach and I are looking for Castalia House readers to join in and provide different perspectives to Wargame Wednesday. The majority of my posts are backward looking and I to dive into military history as often as I discuss games. I have included Zach and my own “official” CH bios below. Our interests may not be yours so here is a chance to add WW content relevant to your tastes and gaming preferences.

If interested, let us know in the comments or e-mail at: scottatcastalia -at- gmail com with proposed topics or even just your likes and dislikes.

Zachary Wood is an educator, editor, and author with a keen love of analog gaming of all stripes. His love of history and teaching draws him repeatedly to Wargames old and new, though he is morosely searching for like minded friends in the American Southwest with which to actually game again. His focus on Wargame Wednesday is ripping open the hood and talking about mechanics and the translations from real life to a trial on the tabletop, and keeping engagement high.

Scott Cole has been war gaming since early childhood, albeit with many job and life induced sabbaticals. Most of his game time is allocated to computer game WW2 simulations but he will play a miniatures game of any historical period at the drop of the hat. Despite not playing board games on a regular basis, Scott has been researching the games played at the dawn of the hobby and the designers behind them. His current focus for Wargame Wednesday is on the past, both studying and posting about older military simulations and history, the more obscure, the better.

While there are lost of wargame implementations of the Battle of the Bulge, are there any wargames covering the Battle of Hürtgen Forest?

It happened in the three months before the Battle of the Bulge, was a disaster for the Americans, and at least one observer claims that the Battle of Hürtgen Forest was so costly that the entire world wide pool of Infantry reserves was used up, leading to the personnel shortages during the Battle of the Bulge (and the Philippines Campaign, among others).